The Box
by ohnomyshoee
Summary: Dakota, a 14 year old in the zombie apocalypse last hope, Terminus was a complete lie. But maybe it isn't to late. She is saved by a group and she follows them to try to become someone they trust to survive. Dakota has been alone since she was seperated from her aunt and is now facing a bigger struggle than the rising dead, but people. Warning: dark thoughts and violence
1. Chapter 1

**okay, woah before** you** begin. This is the first time I've ever actually published my story. Crazy right. I hope you enjoy. This is all for fun so don't be upset if you don't like it. Please review so I know a little bit more about what Im doing okay okay lets go on with the** story** now, erin. I hope you like it.**

**"Let me out." **

**They took away the man in the boxcar with me already, I'm next. No fighting, there is no way out from the inside. I'm stuck. Was there ever a sanctuary? Did people once roam freely, with no hurt, no killing? I sit here, the last spot I thought would be stuck in. The miles I've hiked to get here and to die? I don't get it. Why are people so bad? Terminus, my last hope was a lie.**

**"Please, I'm begging, please."**

**Please. I need to live.**

**I try again. **

**"Plea..."**

**The door swings open. I expect the man who locked me up in the first place to be there but it's not. It's a women with short brown hair. I look at her, we stare at each other in shock for a long second and she runs to catch up with her group. I need help. I run out fall onto the ground. I look down back to my ankle, I twisted it before these sickos caught me. I look around me.**

**Woah. I totally missed the chaos going on. The side of the building that once was this "sanctuary" is gone in smoke. Bullets are being shot in every which way. I manage to stumble behind her for a while still handcuffed with rope. Then through the smoke, a wrecker comes up on me. The dead man is small and he tries to tackle me. I push my rope against his neck pushing him backwards. He is inches from my face. He snaps his disgusting teeth at me. I push him away with the rope. I knock him to the ground long enough to cut the rope on some glass and take the glass and stab his forehead. He cripples to the ground taking the glass with him. I let him keep it. I hear screams from the direction the women went. **

**"Maggie?" I hear a man scream.**

**I follow the scream and the trail of wreckers on the ground. One wrecker clearly had a knife, I grab it. The one weapon I have in this giant herd of wreckers. I want my gun back. I run past a few but they ignore me and stumble towards the smoking camp. I finally see a group of people. Living people. **

**"Who's this?" one women with a cropped jacket and pig tails asks.**

**I stand there and world around me shakes I can't breath. People.**

** It's been awhile. There was the man stuck in the boxcar with me. He wasn't right in the head though. When they threw me in there, he welcome me with invisible tea. When I rejected his offer, he simply said,"Fine, your choice." Then he took a 'sip.' **

**"Why'd did you follow me?" the same women that saved me hissed. **

**"We ain't got time for this, run."**

**The group turned back to the building and made a break for it.**

**"Wait!" I was way behind limping. A wrecker grabbed my combat boot and pulled me down. Wincing with pain, a man swooped down and killed it. I released myself from it and ran that direction. **


	2. Chapter 2

**i wrote this kinda wanting to sorta explain Dakota a little more. I hope you like it, its a little slow but here you go.**

**I could lie and say I didn't miss her, for the selfish thing she did, but I did. I know she was scared but she was supposed to protect me, but she left me. I miss Savannah, but I don't miss Crawford. They looked at me because like I was weak because I was only 12, if they only knew.**

**I remember everything. **

**"Survival of the fittest, and obviously, you aren't the fittest" he said turning his nose up and my skinny arms. I was strong, I was mostly muscle actually. I worked out everyday to gain muscle weight. I gained 15 pounds that year. I was still around 20 pounds underweight still, but I couldn't do anything about it. I had an overactive thyroid which made me so skinny, so anxious, so tired and out of focus all the time. Sorry, Crawford, even if my life depended on it, I couldn't gain another pound. But aunt Jane, she had beautiful black hair the was always wavey and she had a smile with deep dimples, I on the other hand was underweight and had dark circles under my eyes all the time. I could never sleep at night, I would only wake up shortly from nightmares about my parents. My mom and dad left me with aunt Jane when I was 3. They said they'd come back in 3 years when they left for Vegas when they had enough money, they never did. They weren't bad people. They loved me enough to keep me with Jane. **

**If only Crawford wouldn't have taken her from me. I remember the last look I got from her when they shut me out. She mouthed the words ' I'm sorry ' but it still is impossible for me to forgive her for what she had done to me. I was left in Savannah stuck in a gas station until a group took it away from there leaving me to the crowded, dead streets of Savannah. Now, I'm here following way behind these people, who I don't know a thing about, but they saved me from that place. **

**"Wait." I said one last time. I was starting to catch up. I was about 20 yards behind them when they looked back at me. "Stop." I managed to creak out of my mouth then one turned around and looked at me wide eyes. Then I passed out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I writing a lot of chapters early on so there's more to read but I won't always do that thatjust for a** while.** Please leave reviews telling what I can do to make it better. Thanks for reading.**

They didn't leave me, shockingly. I sat leaned against a thick trunk of a tree. My eyes adjusted to the light of the sun. To many eyes looked at me. I looked around reading each pair. Some were blue, some green or brown, my blue eyes were definitely out numbered at this staring contest.

"She's up" an Asian man said.

"She still looks half dead, Glenn, you can count her ribs through her shirt. She's sick, she isn't going to make it much longer" a man with a dirty long beard and long messy hair said. I don't blame them for thinking that I was really skinny even before the world went south, I probably lost a little more weight, but I wasn't sick. Well, not really sick.

"I'm not sick" I squeaked, surprised at my own voice, much raspier then I remembered.

They all looked at me again, only this time they creped in closer, checking if it was me talking.

"I know I look like it but, that's how I look. I'm not dying. I'll be okay." I start to get up but then I stumbled back down looking at my foot. I'm starting to think I did more than just twisted my ankle. It was swollen, black and blue. I swallowed hard trying not to over react, but I knew barely being able to walk in this world will get you killed.

"You need your rest" a women with dark skin said. She was hold a gun around her shoulder.

"We need to move on" the same man with the beard commanded.

"Please, I need someone, I can't do this by myself anymore" I begged almost shaking. _Dakota shut up _I thought to myself. _They're not taking care of you anymore._

"She's just a kid, Rick" a man with dirty long hair and a vest said.

I hated being called a kid. That's why I couldn't go to Crawford, but this time it might save me.

"Alright," he said. But then turned to me with threatening eyes,"but carry your own weight or else you're down."

I sighed in relief. I'm in. No longer alone, no more.


	4. Chapter 4

I wake up suddenly. Shaking with emotions, my body feels like spiders are crawling all over it. I started breathing heavy and my limps grew stiff. I have no idea what that nightmare was about but, it was bad. I sat up looking around our little camp. Everyone was sleeping. I look at the trees surrounding me, our camp was just a clear area to sleep. I brought my knees and rested my chin on them, shaking. Who's on watch? I sighed as I look over. Rick's son Carl, who begged to be watcher was sleeping. I need to learn to be his friend knowing we are some of the last kids our age on Earth. I took in a deep breath, I can't lose it, not in front of people.

I walk over to him about to wake him up, I hear a tree branch snap followed by a low growl. I grab out the knife I got off the body I found earlier. The bushes shook for a second, then it stumbled out of a bush. Taking my knife I walked up to it. Snarling, as he trip over the bush he crawled out of. I stumbled over and stabbed it in the head.

"Gross" I said to myself. I limped over to sleeping Carl.

"Wake up" I said pushing him off the rock he was perched on.

"What?" he asked.

"You were sleeping on the job, move that body away from here, I don't like sleeping with it near me as I sleep, dead or alive" I pointed over to the wrecker on the ground.

"The walker?" he asked.

"Whatever, I can't move it myself" I said gesturing to my foot.

He mumbled under his breath, walking over towards it, "It's not moving it's dead."

"I still don't like it there, please, just put him behind the bush."

He pushed the walker into the bush.

"Stay awake next time that could have killed us."

He rolled his eye and sat himself back on the rock. I laid back down trying to sleep but, I just can't. Flash backs of my nightmare kept coming back to me. My aunt was there talking to me. Then she just turned. I kept shaking thinking about it. My anxiety hit me like a storm, shaking me and pushing me back and forth violently. I stayed awake lying there on the ground of the woods. I picked at my nails, silently to myself until dawn. I got up looking at the rock Carl was on. He was sleeping again. I push him off his rock again.

"Next time, I take watch."

We started moving again until we heard a man scream. We ran towards the scream, I stumbled behind a bit and we got to a clearing full of walkers where a herd of walkers was surrounding a man standing on a large rock. I whistle for a walker to come towards me and I pushed him to the ground and stabbed it. I sat there for a minute taking a breath then from behind me a walker grabbed me. I flopped backwards avoiding it. He fell on top of me. He was a good 6 foot and he was way stronger than me. I pushed him, keeping him away but he was to strong to push off me. He snapped at me inches from my face. I looked at him then directly through his forehead, an arrow stopped him. He went limp on talk of me. I nod slightly to the man who killed it. His name was Daryl, he was the one that convinced Rick to let me stay.

I walked over to where the man, shaking, stood. He looked at us with fear and thankfulness in his eyes.

"Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Soo I write a lot of quick chapters sorry, I just am trying to get this fan fiction started and have a lot and I lose my train of thought and wowie. Basicly I write as ideas come to me.**

The man's name was Gabriel, he's a priest who had a small church. He's letting us stay there for awhile. I'm a little offended that Rick let him stay with us with a little less convincing then it took for me to stay. Of course, he didn't faint and he doesn't look like he was dying like me, I just kept that anger to myself.

As hard as it was for me to except, I didn't fit in well here. A man named Bob tried to talk to me a lot but, I didn't understand what he was saying half the time. I'm grateful that he tried at least, I wasn't an easy person to get to know. I stayed to myself.

In a sick way, the group was kinda like school, everyone knew each other but I wasn't even fully trusted yet. Carl talked to me a little, but mostly about hunger and thirst, not the most interesting things. I guess he knew we would have to grow up together, we might as well talk to each other.

Everyone was sitting on the church floor talking out a plan. I wasn't invited in on this conversation, so I sat alone in the back near the doors of the church.

I sat on the church bench thinking about everything. I felt the soft seat with my hands. I remember going to church with Aunt Jane. Sometimes, I had to sit alone in the pews because Aunt Jane was up in the choir. She was the youngest one in the church choir, also the loudest. I could always hear her voice over everyone else's.

With the thought of her sweet voice in my head, I drifted away into sleep

"Dakota.?" a soft voice said. I looked next to me on the bench was a women's shadow. It was to dark to see her face.

"What?" I answered quietly not to wake the others.

"I came for you, I'm back to save you," the woman insured me.

"Aunt Jane?"

"No sweety, it's your mom."

"Mom?" I asked quietly, my eyes started watering.

"You need out, I can take you away just follow me."

"Did you ever get enough money in Vegas?" I asked. I've always wanted to know.

"Follow me, darling" she sang, totally ignoring my question. She stood up and turned her back to me. I got up to follow her, I took one last look at my group, then turned back to her. I gasped.

"Mom?" She turned around slowly letting out a hiss. She approached me slowly, her blood was dripping to the floor, hair was greasy and thin with huge clumps taken out, her eyes were glazed over, like milky pearls. I fell on to the floor with a thud. I lifted myself up and looked around. I ran out the church doors.

I ran far until I stopped completely out of breath, my ankle that was healing quickly was throbbing. I stopped to sit down and then I was grabbed from behind. A hand covered my mouth. It wasn't a dead man grabbing me, but a live one. He picked me up and I began to kick around. I bit his finger making him yelp, then he dropped me. I hit the ground I started to scramble a way. All of a sudden, another man came from a nearby bush lifting me up easily and covered my head with a brown paper bag. They must have put a chemical in it and I passed out quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

I hear my heart beat through my ears. Everyone is running, running from something. I hear explosions in the distance and fire lights up the night around me. Crying mothers call for their husbands and children, children are screaming and crying. I look around as my ears buzz. Everything gets a little more quiet around me. All I can hear is my own heavy breathing. A women is running directly towards me. I brace myself for her to hit me. I feel a light whoosh of air as she runs through me and away from the smoke that I was walking towards. I look at the ash covered faces and I recognized two.

"We need to get away from her" a women says holding a child close to her. It's when I realize, this isn't a nightmare, it's a memory.

The child nodded. I look at her face. It was me. My blonde hair was in a loose bun and my face covered in dirt and ash. My blues eyes were watering leaving big tears that ran down my red cheeks. I look up to the women I'm with. Aunt Jane. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she was wearing dirty jeans and her favorite painting boots. I looked back at me, I looked defenseless and so young. Do I still look like that now? I turned around and heard a light beep. My ears were ring and I was knocked into the ground landing a couple feet away from my old self. I lifted up struggling for air. I must have went 20 feet. I look were the small explosion happened. A thick cloud of smoke covered it. I whipped my head back to my old self and she was already taking off with my aunt, away from me.

I know the blow wasn't real but the pain was. My ears stung and I lifted my hand to feel them, when I took my finger away and looked at it. It was coated with blood from my ear. I stood up, wincing in pain I slowly limped forward crossing my arms. This was real once, and I made it out then. I don't ever remember that bomb going off so close to us. I walked towards the fire alone, everyone was either dead or ran away, but I couldn't help but wobble towards the chaos everyone ran from. I reached to a top of a hill where I could see what everyone was running from. Walkers, thousands stumbled all towards me. I turned around, going as fast as I can away but my back pain forced me to stop and fall in their path. I huddled myself in a ball knowing I was a goner. They all scrambled towards me, each one wanting a piece of me. My ghostly self that wasn't there to the living was there for the dead. One bit into my neck, others knocked me down and ripped my stomach open and feasted from there. I cried on last cry, but the pain didn't stop. I was long gone but they didn't stop. Never will the dead stop. They kept tearing me up into pieces.

It made sense. The living wanted nothing to do with me, they actually didn't even see me but to the dead, they saw me as a meal.

"Oh great you're up finally." Oh no. Not again I looked into hopeless eyes, drained of all humanity left.

"Ga...Gareth?" I try to speak but I too afraid to speak. I look over to my right. Bob was tied up to a post and so was I.

"Save it, I was waiting for you to get up," he grabs his hatchet from his boot. I flinch thinking I'm their next meal but then he turns to Bob. Bob shakes his head.

"No please, no I'll do anything" Bob says, as my eyes start stinging with tears.

"I'm sorry man, I'm hungry." He swings his hatchet down on his leg where a burst of blood sprays his face.

"No, stop please, Bob!" I scream in terror. With each swing Gareth brings down on Bob's leg I scream. Bob passes out after the 3rd hit. "Why are you doing this, why do I have to watch this?"

Gareth stares at me and gets up into my face, " You're to boney to eat, but your group ain't. So when you come back to them with him, you tell them that we won't hesitate."

I sat there shocked for a long time. I watch them cook and eat Bob's leg right in front of him and I. Bob begins to laugh. I look over to him. He looks at Garthe and pulls down the collar of his shirt.

"I'm bit," he brags to Garthe, the group of cannibals began to freak out. I gasp in shock. What will happen to them? They start to yell at one another. Walkers scratch at the doors for a while and after along time, they stop and move on.

Later, they put the bags back on our heads and bring us back to the church. They throw us on the ground and run. I look down to comfort Bob.

"Bob?"

"You need to get the group."

"I'm not leaving you here, not like this." I support Bob up on my shoulder, he walks on his remaining leg. We slowly get across the yard to the church.

I swing open the doors, "Help!"

The group surrounds me and Bob.

"Get him medicine, he's in pain!" Sasha requested.

"Save it." I hear Bob peep. He pulls down his collar again reveling the bite. I swallow hard and look away.

Sasha looked at me, she marched over and pushed me into the church wall. "Who did this?" She puts a knife against my neck.

"Sasha!" A man named Tyreese, her brother tried to reason.

"Terminus" I squeak out the words and she drops me.

"You were there, you could have helped him!"

"I was tied up too! They were threatening me and the group!"

Sasha turned her back and ran to Bob. She looked up with desperate eyes.

"I have a couch, in my office" Gabriel offers, "It's not much but It's something."

I look at the ground. I should of just died out there, alone with no guilt or feelings about someone. I sigh. Now I'm stuck in this mess.


	7. Chapter 7

**Not going to lie I really had to force myself to write today. This is not my best work, not at all but I really just had a messed up day. I know it's bad to post something you aren't happy with yourself but I I kinda just had an off day. I hope you enjoy anyways! Please review.**

Bob died last night. We had his funeral. I never been to a funeral, like ever actually. Aunt Jane said I could never go because my anxiety would be a problem. At the funeral I thought about Terminus and this group. There is so many differences. The one that stands out the most is that our group still had a bit of humanity. We buried Bob and mourned him like it was before. I thought about Terminus watching us. They could be with us right now, waiting to attack, for us to let our guard down. I shiver thinking about it. My nightmare last night was about Bob. For having nightmares every night of my life, even before this world, I've never gotten used to them. Ever since my parents left, I could never get a good night sleep. I run on about 3 hours of sleep every night. I think I lose a little bit of myself everyday when I wake up to nightmares. I shiver and listen to the rest of the funeral. After it's over, everyone walks back to the church, besides Sasha. I walk towards her and sits down next to her looking at the grave.

"I'm sorry," I say. She doesn't answer. I sit there for a minute with her than I get up and head back to the church. I tried.

"What happened?" Carl asked sitting next to me on the pew.

"Not now, please." I wasn't ready to talk about it.

"I hear you wake up every night. I was just wondering if you were okay," he said looking at the dusty floor boards. Carl was okay. My heart dropped and I stopped cold. "What were you running from?" He asked.

How was I supposed to answer? I shook my head. "Just myself I guess."

"I don't believe it, you can tell me." He says. Carl can be a brat but he's okay. But I can't tell. I kept quiet.

I look around at the group. Rick is sat down it his baby, Maggie and Glen are in the corner talking. Micchone is sitting talking o Tyreese, Gabriel is God knows where. I scan around again. Where's Daryl? I hadn't really stopped to notice he was gone. He must be hunting or something. That women with the pixie cut was missing too.

"Where is Daryl and that other woman?" I asked Carl.

"Him and Carol went missing around the same time you did."

"Oh," I said trying to hide the worry on my face.

Abraham and some others were leaving for Washington tomorrow. That night everyone was sleeping and someone knocked on the door.

My head instantly lifted up.

"Go," Rick whispered and escorted everyone into a small room in the church.

"Come on out, we know you're there." I recognized the voice almost instantly. Gareth.

I began to shake and my teeth chatter. I look around at everyone. Rick puts his figure to his lips shushing me.

Gareth asks many more times for us to come out but we don't budge, Judith begins to cry and I hear footsteps walk up to the room, then all at once Rick and a couple other adults leave the room and lunge at Gareth and his group. He shuts the door behind him so the ones left in the room don't see what's going on. I can here it though. I hear the sound of crushed skulls and gunshots, then I here as what's left of Gareth and he others being dragged out the door. I didn't move.

This is my group, my family, but when they did that to Gareth I was scared.

I sat in the room and shook for a long minute as everyone else left the room.

Who are these people?


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: **THIS CHAPTER IS DARK AND IS JUST A CONSPIRACY ABOUT THE OUT BREAK. please enjoy and read knowing that it gets dark... So don't get angry okay.**

Day 1

Experiment: Kelly Sanders Test

198 experiments are going out in 174 countries across all 7 continents. I as the creator, can see so many good things happening from this experiment, we can solve murders, we can fix our mistakes after dying. 2000 test subjects will come back to life, that's 2000 families being rejoined together for an day. We are first to try it out on Kelly Sanders, a 29 year old who died of a car wreck. 197 other teams get ready to try this on their test subjects tomorrow.

This is Harrison O' Connor, creator of the drug Qwel a drug that brings the dead back, signing out.

Day 2

Experiment: Kelly Sanders Test

When drug is injected into the Jugular vein, subject flinches and in 7 hours of injection, subject rises. First thing tomorrow the family will come in to talk to subject.

This is Harrison O' Connor, creator of the drug Qwel a drug that brings the dead back, signing out.

Day 4

Experiment: Kelly Sanders Test

When family was brought in, Test subjects eyes were glazed over white, and lunged at family. She bit into the victims neck and ate her. She just ate a other human, killing someone with no guilt or hesitation. This is not right, same symptoms were discovered in the other studies. Subject must be but down with a blow to the head. Bodies must be burnt in a rural location.

This is Harrison O'Connor creator of the drug Qwel a drug that is being destroyed, signing out.

Day 12

Experiment: Kelly Sanders Test

The victims that were bitten are turning into the same state subjects were in. People that were dead without the drug Qwel are beginning to change to at their funerals and wakes. More and more people are behaving like the subjects. People are eating each other. Everyone is ying and coming back. And unlike the intention of the drug, the dead have been roaming for days. I've created monsters.

Day 25

Experiment: Kelly Sanders Test

This will be the last log. Burning the bodies must have released a chemical in the air. We are all infected. The streets are full of he dead eating humans. The monsters I have created. I can't live knowing what I have done. The drug Qwel will kill us all.

This is Harrison O'Connor creator of the drug Qwel the drug that brings the dead back, signing out.


	9. Chapter 9

**sorry about the last couple chapters they kinda sucked. I've been having a weird weekend. Let's leave it at that. Follow and review please! Enjoy.**

This is it. I need to run. I don't know when though. My ankle is fully recovered all I need is the right timing. And it finally came, Abraham and a group all left for Washington because apparently Eugene had cure. Even if he did, even if he could stop the walkers, he couldn't bring back the one's we killed. Nothing will be fine and dandy ever again.

Later on Daryl came back and another group went down to a hospital to find a lost member of the group. That left Micchone, Carl, Judith, and the Father Gabriel and I. I thought about leaving then but they nailed the doors shut. I sat thinking of my escape. I can't be with these people. They're bad, and I was scared.

"Dakota!" I turned around from my spot. It was Micchone. "Can you hold Judy real quick?"

I took the young baby from her. I haven't really looked at Judith yet. She had big round eyes and thin hair. I wonder what her mom looked like. Carl never told me bout her, I guess I can understand why. Most likely, she's dead. I look at Judith with sorrow. She will never know her mother, but I guess I never really knew mine either.

"All set, can I take Judy?" I hand the baby back to Michonne. "You don't talk much?"

I blushed kinda feeling rude. I answered back," I guess there is nothing much to say." Shocked by my answer, she nodded.

I sat down against the wall. I looked over at Gabriel. He scratched at the floor below him where Gareth and his crew's blood stains were. Carl was watching soon and was struggling to look, then finally putting an end to the nonsense.

"Pick a weapon," Carl said. Gabriel looked up, shocked. He protested until picking a large machete. Carl taught him how to hold it. "You need to hold it like his, sometimes he skulls aren't soft enough yet," Gabriel shook stopping him.

"I need to lay down," Gabriel claimed. I shrugged and stopped looking at them. Gabriel went into his office by himself. Carl sat down next to me.

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"Dunno," be sighed. "He acts like he's the only one who lost something here."

Carl looked around and whispered to me, "On the back of the church, someone scratched in 'you'll burn for this,' I don't trust him."

"When did you see that?" I asked.

"I saw it while wondering around, he did some untrustworthy stuff."

"Why is he in the group?" I asked. Carl shrugged.

"We needed he church."

I sat there for awhile silent.

"What do you dream about that wakes you up all the time?" Carl looked at me.

Last night I dreamt that I was stuck in a room of mirrors with my aunt, and a walker came. I couldn't tell which reflection was the real walker, we couldn't escape in time. Most of the time they're about walkers, or family at least now they are, but I used to have nightmares about my parents leaving me or I would get hit by a car or something scary like that. I never really had a sound sleep I guess.

"Just stuff that has happened to me." I sighed looking at the ground.

"Like what?"

"People, walkers, not really stuff I wanna talk about."

"Oh."

Suddenly from outside the church we heard scratches followed by a scream. Michonne got out her sword, handing Judith to Carl. I got out my knife from the walker and spun it in my hands. I looked in the office, Gabriel wasn't there. He was replaced with a huge whole n the floor leading into the outside. I bit my lip, nows my chance. I looked back at Carl and Micchone, they were braking down the doors keeping he walkers out. I hesitated for a instant and snuck out.

"Dakota!" I heard some one yell but it was too late. I ran out killing three walkers as I went into the woods.


	10. Chapter 10

**i had to delete and edit this chapter again because my stupid computer kept skipping words and wouldn't let me fix it. Sorry bout that.**

I sprinted through he woods. Tears flooded my eyes. Away, I need away. I began to regret leaving but I couldn't go back. The blazing sun and my exhaustion forced me to stop. I was a good 3 miles away now and I zig zagged around hopefully, that could make me hard to track.

I fell on to a pile of leaves. I sat there for a minute sobbing, then a hand grabbed my boot from the leaves followed by a growl. A walkers face rose from the leaves and lunged towards me. I rolled away and grabbed my knife from my pocket. It lunged towards and I dodged it but lost my footing. I feel down and lost my knife in a pile pileof leaves. He came up on me but I pushed him away and scattered through the leaves for my knife. Finally, I found it then I stood up and teared through his rotten skull. It stopped struggling to get me and laid limp on the ground. I stopped and caught my breath, this time scanning where I sat with my eyes making sure it was safe. I got up and kept walking.

After about walking 4 more miles, I found a small barn. It was a good place to stop. There were buckets full of rain water out side. There wasn't much left though, most was evaporated by the hot sun. I took one inside the barn.

The air inside as thick and dusty. I look left and right. I gasp out of shock. There must of been a survivor there or awhile. There were about 4 unopened cans of food, each on had a thick layer of dust on top. Next to that, there was a rolled out sleeping bag and pillow, covered in mud and a empty water bottle. They must have been gone for awhile. I pick up the pillow to throw it out, I couldn't sleep there knowing someone who's gone slept there. A small picture falls out the case and onto the floor. I pick it up wiping the dust off with my sleeve. A young boy with red hair was smiling with a older man with dark brown hair. They must have been father and son because they shared many traits. I couldn't look at it for to long it was too sad. I threw the pillow and sleeping bag out behind the barn and made a fire.

It took me awhile to figure out. Luckily, the sticks I used to start it were dry enough to light up. I boiled the water from the pails and sat there for awhile.

How did I make it? I'm a skinny little girl that can't even sleep at night, how did I escape the monsters outside. I just sat on one and almost killed myself, how'd I make it outside with out anyone? I begged to be in that group, and just to leave? Was it worth it? I drifted away with these thoughts in my head.

"Carl?" I say getting up out of my position on the floor. I opened the barn doors to see who walked into my barn, I was almost positive it was Carl, the sheriff's hat gave it away. The light shined on him revealing a huge wound on his eye. What once was a blue, sad eye now was a lump of red gush. "Carl!" And then, as if the sounds of my words was a trigger he vanished.

"It's not real," a voice from the corner of the barn creaked. "None of this is." I soon recognized the child. It was the boy from the photo.

"Wake up," he whispered. I shot up from my position on the ground and grabbed and clenched my shirt. I broke out into uncontrollable sobs and shook. I shouldn't have left. Maybe something happened to them because I left. He was my friend and I just ran, they were all my friends and I left. I stood up and began pacing around the barn for a good 5 hours.

It was past daylight when I finally stopped to eat. I finished the can I opened last night and looked out side. I stop myself before totally exposing myself out side. I see a man laying against a tree crying, smoking a cigarette. I recognize the cross bow beside him, Daryl.

I have to stop myself from running out and begging him to welcome me back into the group. They wouldn't let me back. I ran from them. I sighed and watched him until he left.


	11. Chapter 11

**I forgot to explain, I'm trying to catch up to where the show is in my fan fic becore the finally , that means a lot of writing soo brace yoselves. Please review I need to know what you all think about it so far so I can make it better.**

I was beginning to really like my barn, it was quite. I needed to go out soon because my supply of food was gone and my stomach began to crave some more. I walk out planning to move on and savage somewhere else but I notice the thick clouds forming above. It hasn't rain in weeks. I quickly ran back inside and I collected the buckets to set them back up outside. By the time I was back, the rain started. I enjoyed it to myself for a second but then a crack of thunder screamed at me to go back inside.

I sat alone in the barn for awhile then voices approached outside.

"It's right up ahead!"

My heart dropped and I quickly hid by a pile of wood that I collected for fires. The doors flung open and my heart began pacing quickly. I had to stop myself from running out and crying. It was Rick with his baby in his arms and the rest of my group. I ducked down a little lower, Sasha was there, I scanned around looking for Tyreese but he wasn't there with her. Maggie was off a little to herself, and there was a new face in the crowd. I scanned around awhile longer and found Gabriel. How'd he make it?

"Let's make a fire and dry up a little," Rick said and looked around until he spotted the fire wood I was hiding behind. "There's some fire wood right over there, can you get that for me, Carl?" I was done for.

Carl came over and stopped right in front of me. "Dad!" The firewood I was behind fell over exposing me. I cursed to myself as everyone looked over to me.

"Dakota?" I clenched my fists.

"I'm so sorry," the words barely escaped out but it was too late. They all walked over and started questioning me.

"Where were you?"

"Are you a spy for someone?"

"Why should we trust you?"

The questions clogged my brain until I finally gave up.

"I left out a whole in the church to get away! I was scared and I couldn't be locked up much longer!" I stopped for a second to catch myself from going longer but I spat out,"I'm sorry I didn't know what I was doing, I'm not a spy, I..." I stopped myself from talking and I looked to the floor. Now the barn was pitch dark and I couldn't see the ashamed faces.

"Alright," Rick split the silence. "We will decide this as a group." I swallowed a lump in my throat. The group huddled up in a corner discussing my fate but I felt the odds of me staying fly out the barn door. There was no way they could trust me ever again. After a long time, the group agreed and came over to me. I could only see their shadows, it was dark but I could tell by their body language, some weren't happy about the decision.

"You can stay, but if you try again, I am not afraid to kill you," Rick threatened. For the rest of the night I sat alone in the dark.


	12. Chapter 12

_Earlier in the outbreak..._

I wipe my running nose, my own aunt who has raised me left me. Maybe I'm not good enough for anyone. Not my parents, not Crawford, not even Aunt Jane. I look onto the roads ahead from the roof top I climbed onto. Yep I'm pretty screwed from what it looks like. As far as my eye could see, it was only the dead that roamed the once busy streets. How was I suppose to travel across Georgia to Atlanta alone. Savannah was gone now, Aunt Jane was gone, everyone whom I grew up with was missing. I look to the west where my old school used to stand, it was burned down during the riots just like half the city including me and Jane's apartment. I had nothing here. I look back at Crawford one last time and headed down to an alley swiftly. I need to get to a car.

I looked to the left into a empty street where the roamers were surprising avoiding. I tip toed in the alley. I looked at a car that had the window down and the key still in. I reached down through the window and unlocked it. Idiot. A loud car alarm sounded from it and I saw the wreckers in the alley way next to me fill the once empty street. I yanked the door open and closed it shut turning the key then rolled up the windows. The car alarm stopped but that didn't stop the dead, they surrounded my car knocking on the windows. Turning on the car is as far as my knowledge goes. I couldn't drive through anyways because my path was block by the bodies. I was stuck. Then, as if someone was looking out for me, a church bell rang loudly, drawing attention away from me. The wreckers looked away from me and followed the ring through the streets.

I laughed silently to myself and most of the dead left leaving only around three clawing at my car. Now to figure this thing out. I looked at my feet were the pedals were, I jammed my foot on one making it quickly lurch forwards, then I quickly stomp on the one next to it making the car brake causing me to fall forward and hit my head on the wheel. The horn honked loudly.

"Well Dakota, you found the horn."

I tried again putting my foot on the gas slowly this time. I was sorta stuck on something so I pulled the stick down to the R. I guessed that was the reverse and I backed out, slamming into a dead man while at it. Oops. I turned the stick back to the D, drive I'm guessing and moved forward. Some wreckers tried to follow me but I was to fast.

I drove for awhile, the steering was a little difficult but I got a hang of it. I was a couple hours out of the city then I heard a cough from the engine and then the car stopped. I ran out of gas. I opened the door and walked out, kicking the door out of frustration and stopped and looked around. A big build board caught my attention. It had a star and a map. A blank space on the edge read ' You are here.' I was around 30 miles from Atlanta. I looked out to see a gas station was about 40 yards away all by it's self.

I hiked over to it. I grabbed my hammer from my belt and walked to the door. A wood plank and nails were placed on the right of door, and a blood stain. I covered my mouth that was hanging open by the horrid sight. I walked in to the opened door. A wrecker jumped at me almost instantly, I hesitated then crushed her skull in with my hammer. She crippled to the ground on top of my foot, I dragged her out threw the door and far away from the station. This could be my lucky break, I shut the door and a little bell chimed. The store was stocked with supplies, water, food, some basic medical supplies, everything I needed. I sat down on the floor and giggled to myself. I needed this.

I finished nailing the front door shut but kept the back door available by only locking it. I found a gun and ammo under the counter. Aunt Jane taught me how to shoot even before this. She was a cop, and a part time painter. She always told me how important self defense was. I guess she was right. I stayed at the gas station for a long time. In about a week, the weather got chillier and rainy, I caught a bad cold. I had medical supplies but it kept progressing and got worse. It got so bad I sat next to the medicine throughout the day just in case. My lack of sleep didn't help either, I spent hours alone not being able to sleep because my vivid dreams. I only had myself to give me entertainment.

After another week of sickness I decided I had something more than a cold, maybe a full on flu. I didn't know what medicines to take so I just took some pain meds. I got really weak, defenseless and one day a group came into my gas station catching me off guard.

I aimed my gun at one but there was so many, mostly men. I was still sick when they came, I was so weak and they just took the place away from me.

"Get away this is..." I stopped in my sentence to cough, "It's claimed."

"Claimed! Ha!" One said sharply.

"What are you going to do about it? Cough on us?" a man with brown hair hissed.

"We need to get this sickling out of here," a large man with gray hair chuckled at me. They all laughed.

"I'll do it." I turned and looked into the corner, a older woman looked down to me. I coughed into my sleeve. They all look a little shocked but then allowed her.

She dragged me out into the main road. She looked around nervously for a second and looked back at me biting her lip, "Alright, you need to take this every night to get better," she handed a pill bottle that was hidden under her sleeve. She also handed over a water bottle. "You scram okay?" I nodded, I tried to thank her but I couldn't let words out my throat was too raspy.

"Get away from here go, and what ever you do, don't go to Atlanta." I nodded. There goes my plans. The women turned away from me and I slowly got up and walked down the road ahead. I now have totally lost everything.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning after the stormy and eventful night, I got up from my spot on the floor and sat next to Carl, I needed someone to talk to. As I sat down he got up and stared at me with eyes screaming at me 'how could you do this?' I looked away and down to my feet.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out.

"Sorry doesn't bring back the ones we lost," he snapped back.

"Was it my fault? I couldn't have done anything," I whispered trying not to draw more attention to myself.

"No, but you could have been there for us. You could have helped us move on."

I opened my mouth to speak but the barn door swung open and Sasha and Maggie came in. Rick got up from his spot and handed his daughter off to Michonne. A man step in and put his hands in the air.

"Did he have a weapon?" Rick asked in his thick accent.

"Yes, just this," Maggie threw a bright orange gun to Rick. A flare gun.

"I'm Aaron, we have a camp, a community, you're welcome to join us," the man said confidently, "I have a photo in my bag, sorry it's not the best quality," he began to ramble.

"Hey," Daryl said, "shut up."

Rick look at the photo then marched to Aaron and punched his face giving a knock out blow.

Michonne and Rick argued for awhile until Aaron woke up with a smirk on his bruised face. He started blabbering about how it was safe and he could trust him. I didn't buy it. No where could be like that, nothing is safe. Aaron tried to convince him for a long time, Rick started to run out of excuses.

"You can't fit this many people in one car," Rick argued.

"My partner and I drove separate, so we could take everyone back with us."

This guy really thought of everything.

Rick finally allowed us to go, I didn't want to at all at first but I was convinced after that talk. We were off to a safe haven, to a city named Alexandria.

I rode in the car where the majority of us rode in, there we met a man named Eric, who kinda looked like the kid in the photo from the barn.

We drove around a empty path for awhile, Carl still gave me the stink eye the whole ride. Come on, what was I suppose to do. We came a rough stop causing me to swing forward.

"Walkers!" I hear someone say. I hear tapping on the sides of the van where walkers clawed at.

"Get to the building over there!" I picked up my knife and opened the car door knocking over a female walker. I ran past a few, they were so slow nowadays, they tried to grab at me but I pushed away the ones that got too close. One clawed at my shirt catching me on the it's sharp nail. I cut my shirt on the corner it snagged on to releasing myself and kicked the walker away.

"Ow!" I hear Eric scream. I watched as several of the others grabbed him off the road where he fell and dragged him into the building. I shut the door behind me and held it close with my back. I felt pounding claws trying to break at it.

"I could use some help over here!" I yelled. Abraham came and held the door shut easily. I guess he gave up on Washington. I hadn't notice him yet. "Is he bit?" I asked Abraham.

"No, he twisted his ankle."

I sighed in relief. Judith stated crying but the new guy, Noah, shushed her. He seemed nice, he got along well with everyone. I looked over at another girl, Tara I think and she looked very nervous.

We stayed there sitting in silence, drowning in worry we heard walkers being silenced and voices from outside.

"Dad!" I hear Carl yell as he flew past Abraham and out side. We were whole once more then continued our way to Alexandria. The safe haven.


	14. Chapter 14

**Mentally preparing for finaley tomorrow... I was going to write another chapter that didn't follow the story but I decided to save it for after tomorrows episode. Hope you enjoy, leave some reviews that would be super cool. Enjoy!**

"Hi Dakota," a voice from in front of me says calmly. It's a voice that you can trust, a voice overflowing with authority.

"Hi," I say and turn towards her.

"Have a seat," she offers. I sit down on the soft cushion and rub my hand on it. "Mind if I record you?"

"No."

"Okay, so have you always been with Rick and his group?" She asks smoothly and waits for a reply.

"No, I was..." I began to say but I couldn't finish, "No."

"Were you by yourself for awhile?"

I respond only with a slight nod.

"Okay," she continues, "how old are you?"

I freeze at this question because I wasn't quite sure. That question came up so many times before the outbreak but now, it doesn't really matter to anyone.

"14, I guess I'm not sure."

She nods slightly.

"Who do you want to live with?" she asks.

"Wait what?"

"You aren't old enough yet to live here by yourself so you're going to have to live with a guardian for awhile," she says acting like I should know this already.

"Are you, putting me up for, adoption?" I'm kinda angry to be honest but it made sense.

"Well, Glenn and Maggie are pretty open to it," she says ignoring my question.

"That would be fine," I peep but it's not like I had the choice anyways. Good thing I like Glenn and Maggie.

"Alright," she notes. Then she looks around and leans in closer to me, "What happened to you out there?"

I breath in, I trust her, I can tell her. I decide to start from the beginning.

"I lived in down town Savannah and me and my aunt, when this started, left to go to a camp called Crawford," I shivered at the name, "they didn't let kids in and so my aunt and I were separated."

"You lived all the way in Savannah?" She asked.

"I stole a car and that got me far away, I lived in a gas station for awhile. It got, uh taken from me." She nodded listening closely. "Later I found a camp called Terminus, I thought I could live there but, those people, those people were bad." I take a break for awhile and then continued, "Then, Maggie and her group saved me from there and I kinda joined them, and now I'm here." I left out the part when I left for awhile. Maybe I said to much already.

"Okay," she turned off the camera, "that's enough."

"Oh," I say. I'm kinda embarrassed, maybe I talked to much.

"Have you met the other kids yet?"

I shake my head no.

"Well there's Ron, Mikey, Sam and Enid, oh you'll love them."

"Thanks," I say leaving her house. I think about the conversation. That was weird. It was too, normal.

I walk around a little longer looking for Glenn and Maggie but I'm stopped when a ball rolls over to my feet. I stop and pick it up.

"Hey!" I hear someone yell. I whip around and grab for my knife but it's not there. I forgot they took our weapons. "Can we have our ball back?" A small child with red hair and freckles looks up to me. I hand it over without saying a word. I fast walk away.

"Do you wanna play ball with us?" A kid who is a little older asks.

"No I need to find someone." I make up an excuse and turn my back.

"Maybe later?"

I stop in my tracks, "Maybe."

I walk on looking around for them and I run into Maggie, she looks clean and fresh.

"Hey!" She smiles, "Did you know you're staying with us?" I nod.

"Where?" I ask looking at all the big houses surrounding us.

"Over at that one," she points. "There's fresh clothes in the bath room for you, and a shower."

I thank her and almost sprint over. I really need the shower. I see myself in the mirror before my shower. My hair is dark and greasy, my face is coated with dirt and my eyes look tired. My bright blue eyes now look sorta faded. I took the shower and put on the fresh clothes. They are ripped up jeans and a T-shirt. I look at my self in the mirror again. I can't get over how different I am now. My hair is a lot lighter now because because it is clean and my face is not dirty anymore. My eyes still look tired but now they look more alive. I hear a knock on the door.

"Dinners almost ready, come out when you're ready." The familiar voice belongs to Glenn.

I quickly but my hair in a pony tail, it's a lot quicker then my usual French braid, it's a lot easier for a walker to grab. I stop myself. No Dakota, walkers can't get you now stop thinking like that.

"Your hair is so blonde!" Maggie says to me.

"Yeah, I guess it's color was hiding in the dirt."

I sit down for dinner on the table. I look at the feast in front of me. It's some beans and vegetables. I lick my lips, I haven't noticed how hunger I was.

"I ain't a cook but I'm quite impressed with myself," Maggie says satisfied.

"It looks good," Glenn says, "Let's eat."

We finish our food. Rick makes us all sleep in the same house tonight. We make our way over to their house. We sleep in a large living room. I get in and look directly at Carl. I sit down next to him.

"Are you still mad at me?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Will you forgive me?"

He hesitates before he answers, "I guess."

Thank god.

We sit in silence until everyone falls asleep. I stay up the whole night just thinking. Maybe this can work out.


	15. Chapter 15

**omg I'm so excited for tomorrow guys! I'm trying to decide if I should continue with Dakota or start fresh next season. Leave reviews on if I should or not. Hope you enjoy!**

I was walking that day until I felt a tug on my pony tail, I whip around expecting a hungry walkerto grab me but instead I saw a friendly face. I almost forgot I was in Alexandria.

"Hey Tara."

"Dakota, your hair! I've never seen it so blonde!" She fiddles around with it in her fingers, I pull it away.

"You aren't the first one to say that," I say blushing.

"Glenn wanted me to tell you that he and I are going on a run," she says.

"Thanks for letting me know." I watch her run off and wave. Everyone is so happy here.

I walked for a long time studying my surroundings. People were out and about, some were jogging others sat on their porches. I walked by a house and an elderly couple was talking to Carl. I began to walk over but is pushed out of the way by Rick.

"Sorry," he says rushing to Carl. He talks to him for awhile but I only hear the tail of the conversation, "How bout you invite Dakota to come too," Rick says kinda anxiously.

"Okay," Carl says walking to me.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"To meet the other kids," he says looking just as unhappy as I.

"Okay."

We reach a house and we are invited in by the kid who invited me to play ball yesterday.

"Hey," he says, "you never came back to play kick ball with us."

"I said maybe, that doesn't mean yes."

He opened his mouth to talk but stopped himself.

We went up in him room and introduced us to Mikey and Enid. Carl looked a little shocked.

"So... Are you guys into video games?" He offered, "You don't have talk yet, it took Enid 3 weeks before she spoke to us," he said noticing Carl's worry.

Enid mumbled something.

Carl finally shook his head, "Alright, let's play video games."

After playing video games for awhile, we decided to play kick ball. Enid didn't didn't come play with us. It was Carl and I against Ron and Mikey.

We were winning by a little and it was my turn to kick. I kicked the ball hard and it went straight up and over the fence.

"That was our only ball!" Mikey yelled.

"I'll get it," I ran over to climb over the fence.

"No, we can get someone to get it tomorrow, "Ron said but it was too late. I started climbing up the fence.

I dropped myself down and went out to find the ball. I searched around the woods for awhile until I found it sticking out. I grabbed it and went back over to the fence. I heard a low growl from behind me. I turned and a walker grabbed at me. I kicked the walker against a tree. I grabbed for my knife but it wasn't there. Uh oh. I dodged the walker once more trying to find something to destroy it's skull. I kicked her down once more and grabbed a heavy rock. I went on top of it. She snapped at me from underneath me. I grabbed the rock and bashed her skull repetitively until she was long gone. I got up and brushed myself down, catching my breath. I grabbed the ball and climbed over the fence again. I threw the ball down at them. They all stood there in shock.

"Got it," I say.

"Are you insane?" Mikey hisses my direction.

"You can't just go over the walls like that!" Ron spits out.

"It's fine," I say.

"Really, what's on your hands?" Ron points at my hand which was covered in walker blood.

"I'm fine," I snap, "You're saying you've never been out there yet?"

"I'm going to go," Carl says and sprints away.

"Good thing no one saw you, you would be in huge trouble," Mikey says nervously.

"I'm going in," Ron says, "wash yourself before someone notices."

Ron and Mikey leave me in the empty yard, covered in walker guts. I go back home hiding my hands in my jean pockets.

"What happened?" Maggie asks as I walk over to wash off.

"I was playing kick ball and I kicked a ball over the fence and I went over to get it and," I stopped, "These kids have no idea how bad it is out there. No one here does."

Soon after I say that Glenn comes in red as a tomato with anger.

"What happened?" Maggie asks her husband.

"Nothing,"he replies.

"Well, wash up Deanna is having a party for us."

"Do I have to go?" Glenn argued.

"Yes, it's a nice gesture," she says.

"I'll get ready," he groans, slamming the bathroom door. Maggie sighs.

"He'll get used to this one day," she shakes her head.

"I don't know if these people know what they're doing," I say.

"It's just not what we are used to."

"I guess," I say.

She pauses and looks at me, "I'm glad we found you again Dakota," she hesitates to say the next thing, "you remind me so much of Beth." She wipes her eyes.

"Thanks," I say. I never knew Beth but I guess she was the one Rick left to get back at the church.

"I'm sorry, I'm a mess," she apologizes.

"Aren't we all?" I try to comfort her but, not being around people much means I suck at people skills.

Glenn comes out and grabs her shoulder, "Ready?"

"Yeah."

The party was nice, the house was bright and people were smiling, laughing, and drinking. I saw Ron in the conner of the dining room with Mikey.

I walked over, "You guys," I came in closer and whispered, "you didn't tell anyone right?"

"No, you're welcome by the way," Ron said snobbishly.

"She didn't know Ron, give it up," Mikey rolled his eyes, "Sorry about him."

"It's fine," I say turning away.

"Don't do it again, I'm surprise you didn't get caught," Mikey said whispering.

"Well, I guess I forgot what's out there for awhile," I shrug. To be honest that's not hard to do in Alexandria. It's so happy here, so different from the several months before we found this place. Things were different here.


	16. Chapter 16

**omg omg omg guys I need to know if I should continue with Dakota or not please leave a review telling me if I should that would be great. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

The last couple days were tough for everyone in Alexandria. Noah and some other poor man died and Tara is dying. I thought all this death was over. It is never over I guess.

My nightmares had gotten better but last night's was rough. The walls surrounding Alexandria were gone, like they disappeared out of thin air, and people were scared. The screaming attracted walkers that, you know. They didn't know what to do or what they were. I just sat there hopelessly as they lost against the dead.

I visit Tara who was laying on a bed with a bandage on her head, unconscious.

"How is she?" I hear a voice from behind me ask.

"I don't know," I say turning around to face Michonne.

"What happened?"

I remember Glenn and Maggie talking about it in hushed voices. Glenn seemed upset about Noah and he sounded angry too. Whoever he was with did something.

"I don't know," I sigh and look down to the floor, "I thought we'd be safe here but, you just can't avoid it."

She just stood there crossing her arms looking at me.

"Yesterday, I went over the fence to get a ball. The kids here have no idea what it's like outside. What if something happens here? What would they do?" I ask out loud for the first time. I've been thinking about that for awhile but, I couldn't ask anyone.

"They would have to figure things out I guess," she says but is interrupted by loud screams from outside. We look at each other and run out.

In the middle of the street I see to people on the ground, each had their fair share of blood coating there face, when I get closer I see one of them is Rick.

"You need to think about who you allow in here!" He yells.

"It's never been more clear to me now," I look over to see who's voice that was. It's Deanna. Her eyes look coldly at him. I forgot that her son died the same day Noah did.

He laughs sarcastically and breaths in slowly, "Are you talking about me?" He looks down and shakes his head, "you don't get it, none of you do!" He starts to ramble on but is stopped by a blow to the head by Michonne. She looks a little shocked herself. He is knocked out on the ground.

Deanna speaks, "When he wakes up, we will figure out what to do with him." Everyone leaves the street like nothing happened besides a crying women who lays beside a man on the ground. Her eye is bruised but it doesn't stop the tears from falling down.

Ron comes out of a house and so does the little boy named Sam. They run over screaming, "Dad!"

I leave the scene immediately to find Carl. He must be a mess right now.

I see the back of his hat and run over, "Carl?"

"I don't know why he did that, he's going to get us all kicked out!" He paces around for awhile then looks at me, "Leave!"

I walk away slowly and go home. I can't imagine how he feels right now. I should give him some space. Maggie and Glenn are talking again on the couch but stop as I walk in.

"Hi, what was going on out there?" Glenn asked. His coloring was a little off. I guess he is still shaken up by Noah's death.

"Rick hurt someone, we might get thrown out," I bite my lip.

Maggie looks at Glenn then at me nervously.

"You can tell her," Glenn says to Maggie.

She looks around nervously, "Gabriel told Deanna to kick us out yesterday, he thinks we are bad but, we saved him! How selfish!"

"Look, we need to keep it at a down low for awhile," I look around like someone's listening but we are all alone, "They don't trust us anymore."

Maggie bites her lip and Glenn squeezes her shoulder. I have never been this anxious in a very long time. I feel like I'm going to vomit, I sit down on a fancy chair. I suddenly feel light headed.

"We all need to lay down and stay in for awhile, alright?" Maggie says.

I nod in agreement. We lay in silence for awhile. I count the specks on the celling to keep my mind of what could happen next. I couldn't leave Alexandria. I been through enough out there.

I hear a knock on the door. Maggie gets up to answer it and mouths before answering the door, "It's Deanna." I sit up straight in my chair.

She comes in, "Later, as a community, we will discuss what will happen to Rick."

"Okay, where in when?" Maggie asks.

"I'm still deciding if you can come, I don't want any bias opinions," she glares at us.

"Okay. Well you know where to find us if we are invited," Maggie says with a fake smile.

Well, that was kinda of rude. She walks out and waves to us. What is going to happen to us? She thinks we can't be trust. She said we were making the decision as a community, are we not part of the community? My mind wanders and I began to sweat. I go upstairs to a room that I have been sleeping in. How many more nights will they allow me to sleep in this room? So many thoughts go on in my brain until I'm exhausted. I lay down and attempt to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**this is just a fun chapter it has nothing to do with Dakota, I hope you like it, if you want me to do a totally new fan fic just following the character in this chapter I will. Hope you enjoy!**

Robin Tank, she was the star of News Channel 9, she won Ms. Georgia back when she was twenty and is now, 36 and married, is using her big smile for news. The tapped a little more powder on her nose and made her way to the news room from the bathroom.

"What's my big story today?" She smiled her flashy white teeth over at her writer. She was shocked to see his face turn serious as he handed over the script.

"There was an outbreak, some disease, people are eating each other, sick right?" She scanned the fresh pages with her bright eyes, "You need to talk about the safe camp, Crawford, children and sick folk aren't allowed."

Robin nodded at her writer and bit her lip. Her camera man escorted into the news van to get to down town were the story would be shot. Traffic blocked the roads. Curious of what was happening, she got out of the van and into the road.

"Let's just do the story here," she told her camera man.

A whole area was blocked off by guards and cones. Police officers were scrambling around talking to people. One approached her.

"Everyone out of the city, national guard's orders," he said sternly.

"I'm sorry, I need to do my story, people need to know what's going on," she flashed him a fake smile and pointed to the camera, but her charm didn't work on him. "Look I need in or I will be fired."

"Rather be fired then dead lady," he tried to continue but his insult was interrupted by a ground shaking explosion. Robin's high heels made her wobble and fall against the van.

"Go," someone yelled through the crowds. Screams erupted through the city.

Robin began to run away from the city but her shoes made her trip. She decided to take them off and hold them instead. The hot streets burned her feet.

"Mom?" A girl was screaming nonstop.

Robin walked over to her, she looked at her scared expression, "Sweety, are you okay, I will help you find your mom."

The girl stay silent and pointed past her and a man.

"It's not nice to point," she said turning around but stopped and screamed. A man was walking over to her and reached out for her, blood dripped all over. There was big tears in his clothing. Robin pushed him away but he got up and went to attack her again.

"Kill it!" The little girl screamed.

"How?" Robin yelled back, she was going to have to kill a man.

"The head!" The girl shouted.

Robin took one of her heels and forcefully pushed it in it's face. He fell onto the ground.

Robin screamed in discussed.

"Run!" The little girl yelled, there was more things behind them.

The little girl and Robin ran on the high was past cars and people. An explosion from her right knocked Robin and the little girl to the side. She slowly got up, blood dripped from her hair.

"Little girl?" She yelled. A force tugged on her pants leg. It was the girl.

"We need to go!" Her shaking finger pointed into the distance at a herd of the dead walking their direction. Robin grabbed the girl's hand and sprinted off the highway and into the new world. Nothing would ever be the same.


	18. Chapter 18

The cold wind fills my lungs as I breath in. The weather is really changing. Today they decide if Rick stays or goes away. I wasn't planning on going. They wouldn't want my opinion anyways. As Crawford would say, I'm just a weak child.

I decided to go on a jog this morning. When you're outside Alexandria, running seems like a chore, you have to do it to survive but now, it's kinda fun. I stop in my tracks and hide behind a nearby tree. I watch as Glenn looks around silently, then exits out the gate. What is he doing? I decide to follow him.

I go around back behind a empty house and climb over the fence. I jump from it and land painfully on the ground. I stop myself from screaming. I slowly get up and follow where Glenn went.

I spot him in a clearing. I step forward breaking a tree branch. He whips towards me, knife in hand ready to strike but then relaxes.

"It's just me," I raise my hands to prove I'm unarmed.

"Hey, what are you doing out here, it's dangerous," he says strictly.

"Don't act like I've never been out here before," I spit back. I suddenly feel guilty, "I'm sorry, I saw you come out here and I was wondering what you were up to." There was a long pause between us.

"Plus, I kinda miss it out here," I joke but he clearly was unamused.

"I'm just on a walk, you can go back now," he lied.

"Okay," I began, "then I'll walk with you."

"Dakota," he complained but it was too late. I was already by his side, ready to walk.

We walked in silence for awhile and then we walked up a steep hill. At the top a large gunshot rung. We both fell to the ground, alert. I started to feel a pain in my shoulder. I looked at a bullet sized whole in my jacket where a blood stain started to form.

"Glenn," I said softly.

"Wait here," he said totally unaware that I've been struck.

He swiftly runs behinds a tree then attacks my attacker. I hear shoving and grunting but I still sat there, hand putting pressure on the wound. I lifted my hand for a second to look. It was soaked in red. I hear walkers approaching. I get up shooting a numbness completely down my back. I see Glenn under another man. I recognized him, he was from Alexandria. He got off him when he saw the walkers and threw one on to him. He ran after that leaving Glenn defenseless on the ground with two walkers crowding him.

"Glenn!" I yell, two heads turned to me and started approaching me. Glenn got up and crushed the skulls with a rock.

He ran to me, "Are you hurt!"

I lifted my shaking hand revealing the bloodstain and my wound. He ripped apart of his shirt and handed it to me.

"Put pressure on it. Can you walk?" I could see the worry forming in his face.

I nod but he picks me up and slings me over his shoulder anyways. He begins running back to Alexandria.

We get close but he puts me down and whispers to me, "Wait here."

I shake my head but he already ran off. Now that the shock is over the pain settles in. My whole side starts throbbing and my head pounds. My vision begins to blur, I can hear my heart beat in my ears. I hear screaming from the direction Glenn went. I crawl over to see what was happening. Glenn was on top of the man with a gun against his fore head. He was shaking. I started to say something but it came out as a mumble no one could hear.

"You're the reason why Noah is dead! It's your fault!" Glenn yells.

It's a long pause and I think he was going to kill him but he stops. He gets up and cries for awhile. I didn't think that man was going to live. Glen turns over then looks at me. His eyes widen.

"Behind you!" He screams and I turn around sending a pain in my bullet hole. A walker falls on top of me I push it off from me but the pain in my arm makes me scream. It's too much. I need to give up. I look at his face. A W marks his fore head. I look at it, this is the walker that will kill me. Suddenly, Glenn knocks him off me and stomps on his head.

He helps me up,"Are you okay?"

I nod but I began to cry from the pain. I stumble back and fall to the ground. He picks me up again and carries me back to Alexandria. I look into the sky for awhile looking at the stars. The start to become big blobs of light.

"Stay with me Dakota," his voice shakes.

The pain and my shoulder now just feels as if pins and needles kept stabbing at it like when my foot falls asleep but this was different.

I finally see the fire light of Alexandria. "We need some help over here." Someone is screaming, 3 bodies were on the ground, I couldn't make out the faces. My eyes lids become to heavy to stay awake, people surround me and I drift away into sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Aunt Jane fills up the rental car with gas from this shady gas station right outside Savannah. We've been camping all weekend at this camp site we always went to. I sit in the car quietly waiting for her to finish. In the car in front of us I see a couple fighting, their screams and curses echo through the station so everyone can hear. At the front of the door, two people are smoking cigarettes and are talking. One of them is older looking with gray hair and wrinkled skin, the other was a young man with piercing on each crevasse of his body. I examine them for a long time.

"It's rude to stare Dakota." Aunt Jane taps the window. I roll it down with the crank. It's not the best rental car ever.

"Sorry, can I use the bathroom," I nag.

"Soon, just wait for me," she looks around real quick with big brown eyes, "This isn't the ideal location for children to be alone."

"I have to go now, I've been holding it for 4 hours," I complain. I feel like I'm going to burst open.

"Fine," she hands me a dollar. "Get a soda while you're in there."

I open the car door and slide out. I shut it with the rusty handles and walk in.

I pass the smokers and they ignore me and keep smoking. I hold my breath so I can't smell the chemicals.

The bathroom was a one person stall with a flickering light and a drippy sink. I finish my business and buy Jane her soda. The cashier was a pale boy with gages in his ears.

"89 cents," he says in a cold voice.

"Thanks," I smile but I don't get one back in return.

I began to walk out the door, a hand grabs my wrist and pulls me.

"What are you doing alone little girl?" A man with missing teeth and a beanie says getting in my face. His breath smells like alcohol and smoke.

"Jane!" I try to pull away but his grip tightens.

"Little girl, you're okay," he smiles a toothless smile.

I start to panic, "Jane!" I scream loudly this time she hears me, dropping the gas pump she runs to me pulling out her concealed carry.

"Put her down," she says aiming the pocket sized gun at his chest.

He drops my wrist immediately and the cashier's jaw drops.

"Ma'am put that down or I'll have to call the police."

"Dakota, get in the car," she says.

I run back to the rusty car and she shortly follows. She turns the key and the weak engine puffs. She squeals out of the parking lot leaving tire tracks behind her.

I knew she had the concealed carry but I've never thought she would have to point it at someone.

We drive in silence for a long time.

The sun peaks through the window. There's enough light to make out the figure in front of me. His face was in his palms and he was shaking his head.

"Glenn," I whimper in a weak voice.

"Oh god, you're up," he looks surprise. He grabs a cup from the side table and brings it up to my dry lips. "You're dehydrated, you need water."

"How long was I out?" I ask, my voice sounds like gravel under tires.

"Long time, few days." He shakes his head, "You're quite popular, A lot of people came to visit. Maggie, Carl, Michonne, Rick, and Tara."

"Tara? She's okay?" I try sitting up, getting excited. A pain rushes through me.

"Yeah, take it easy. I'm going to get Carol."

He comes back with Carol later. She smiles at me a broken smile and attends my wound.

"I'm going to clean it alright?" She rubs alcohol on a tissue.

"That's going to hurt, isn't it." I wasn't stupid, I've seen it before on TV.

She bites her lower lip and sighs, "yes, you need to stay still though."

I brace myself for the pain. It wasn't as bad as I thought. It burnt a little but mostly made my arm felt numb.

"You're a tough kid," she says, she wraps a gauze around my shoulder.

"Please don't call me that," I say patiently.

She sits there and says nothing. After awhile she says, "The bullet was nice to you. We took it out in one piece," she hands me the small bullet from the bed side table. I played with it in my hands for awhile. This is what almost killed me. It was so small, yet it could do so much harm.

"Glen thinks this is his fault," I blurted out. "It's not, I was the one that followed him in the woods."

She thinks for a minute then says, "You need to let him know that. He's been worried sick, he hasn't left the room until now."

I feel a ball of guilt form in my stomach. People usually don't worry about me. I do remember when Aunt Jane and the doctors thought my thyroid had become cancerous, she got so worried she wouldn't stop squeezing my hand. This was a lot different. I could have died both times but the bullet was so much more surreal.

"All done," she says admiring her work.

"Can I get up now," I say moving but then following back down to my position on the bed.

"You need to rest," she tucks my covers in.

I lay back down on the bed. When she leaves I'm alone in the room. I begin to cry. I don't know why exactly but I can't contain my tears.

I feel like I'm stuck here.


	20. Sequel?

**so i decided that I was going to make a sequel to The Box. I'm calling it The Ground. It basically focuses on Dakota's recovery and how she gets her self in more trouble of course. Please read it if you can. I will post on this when it's up.**

**hanks for reading about Dakota this far. It means a lot.**


	21. Chapter 21

**The Ground (the sequel) is finally posted! I hope you read it and enjoy it. I took awhile writing it because I wanted it to be good oops. And thank you so much for reading this far, it was kinda a mess at the begining but I think/hope I figured it out. **

**Thanks for reading.**


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